Elena Rybakina has made back-to-back Miami Open finals after surviving a thriller against two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka.
Rybakina, ranked at No. 4 in the world, outlasted former world No. 1 Azarenka 6-4 0-6 7-6 (2) in a Miami semifinal that lasted three hours and 33 minutes. After Azarenka bageled Rybakina in the second set, the whole momentum was on the Belarusian’s side but the 24-year-old Kazakh showed some impressive mental strength and fortitude to bounce back and get the job done in three sets.
By beating Azarenka, 24-year-old Rybakina ensured a return to the Miami final. When Rybakina plays her Miami final on Saturday, she will try to avoid another loss in the final stage in Miami – last year, the Kazakh was beaten by Petra Kvitova in the tournament’s final.
Later tonight, Rybakina will learn her Miami final opponent after home favorite Danielle Collins and No. 14 seed Ekaterina Alexandrova finish the remaining semifinal.
How Rybakina beat Azarenka?
In the very first game of the match, Rybakina missed out on a great chance to go up by an early break as she clinched four break points but didn’t convert any of them. Five games later, Azarenka had her first break points but…
